More To Love
by Poesia-Raro
Summary: What does a girl do when her confidence is shaken right down to the roots? When all she ever knew about herself has a shadow of doubt hovering over it? When she can't even look at herself in the mirror any more? PurVin. (Warning: Depressing theme.)


**::/More To Love/::**

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A/N: I know you're all sick of my ANs, but trust me, this is REALLY important, and it's for your own good, believe it or not.

WARNING: This is a PurVin (Purvi/Vineet) story. If you don't like their pairing, there is no compulsion to read this story. :)

WARNING: This story is NOT a fluffy romance. It is a more serious and emotional expression of love. PurVin are also nothing like the fairytale and filmy kind of romance I have seen to be extremely popular nowadays. They are best friends who happen to be in love. As such, they behave exactly like that- best friends who happen to be in love.

WARNING: This story is very depressing. Particularly (mainly, you can say) for girls. It deals with an issue that may seem ordinary but is actually very, very serious and has a terrible effect psychologically (and in many cases physically). A girl being insecure about her weight is so common nowadays that most people don't notice or understand how badly these feelings it can affect her until it's too late. I know this problem is much more commonly seen in Western countries, but just because we don't see it much here, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

WARNING: Abhijeet and Daya's appearances are very, VERY small. The story is centred on Purvi, and as such, the other important characters are Vineet, ACP Pradyuman, Shreya and of course Purvi's father. No one else is really involved.

WARNING: This story is written by Poesia-Raro. As such, it will not have the stuff people generally like, it will be confusing, it will be depressing, and it will DEFINITELY be frustrating. Just saying.

WARNING: My dear "Guests" who love to post hate reviews on stories that are not full of Abhirika romance and Abhijeet-Daya's tear-jerking emotional best-friendship, kindly don't even bother reading this story, because I CANNOT write what you want me to, not even if I spend the rest of my life trying. Let's save you the high blood pressure and me a headache, shall we? :)

Thank you.

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/\\/\\/\\

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Her suspicions were confirmed the instant she looked. Yes, there was more. Even more than there had been the previous week. A tentative hand reached out, coming in contact with the cold surface of the mirror. As reluctant as she was to believe it, she knew it never lied. A frown creased her forehead and she bit her lip, averting her eyes. She had never been one of those girls who constantly admired themselves and obsessed over their appearance, but it still bothered her when something wasn't right. And _this_... this certainly wasn't.

Letting her blue-green T-shirt fall back down with a sigh, Purvi picked up the hairbrush that lay on her bed and began to listlessly brush out her long straight hair, mentally thanking the heavens for small mercies. At least her hair, if not anything else, looked passably nice and was easy to manage... she could have it much worse. She clipped it back from her face, letting it flow down her back, and scrutinised her reflection. "It'll have to do," she muttered to herself, her shoulders slumping dejectedly, and grabbed her phone and wallet, hurrying out the door. She didn't need to be late, on top of everything else.

Sure enough, he was waiting for her, staring off down the street with his hands in his pockets. As always, a smile touched her lips when she saw him frown slightly and bite his lip as he pondered something. Though they had been best friends for more than eight months now and a couple for two of those, just the sight of him was still enough to make her feel as though all the troubles in her world had just somehow evaporated, then and there.

Looking up, he caught sight of her, and his face broke into a grin. "_There_ you are!" he exclaimed as she came over. "I was just about to call you. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten!"

Purvi gave him an incredulous look. "Uh, Vineet, how on earth would I have forgotten about a plan we made less than _three hours_ ago?"

Vineet shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "Anything could have happened in three hours. You could have banged your head against the kitchen cabinet and got amnesia, for all I knew. OK, OK, lame joke, I get it!" he laughed as she hit him on the shoulder. "So, shall we?" Purvi asked drily, gesturing to the restaurant they were standing outside, and Vineet winked at her. "I thought you'd never ask. I'm hungry!" he informed her as they entered. There were quite a few tables empty, but Vineet grabbed Purvi's hand and made a beeline for the one in the farthest corner. "Come on!" she protested, laughing in spite of herself. "It's the middle of the afternoon, Vineet, the corner table isn't exactly going to hide us from public view."

"All the same, I like my privacy, thank you," Vineet said primly, swiftly pulling out two chairs and sitting down. Purvi, grinning, sat down opposite him. Once they had placed their orders, Purvi idly began to finger the silverware that lay on the table in front of her. Suddenly, she lifted her spoon and fork, holding them up before Vineet. "My! Them handles is chased silver, ain't they?" she asked in an admiring whisper.

"Silver, yes," Vineet replied, his tone distant, and held his fork aloft, staring at it with a manic glint in his eyes. _"And we'll do wonders, won't we? You there, my friend,"_ he sang.

"_I'm your friend too, Vineet,"_ Purvi's voice piped up, soft and musical. _"If only you knew, Vineet... oh, Vineet,"_ she sang, as Vineet continued with _"Come let me hold you, now with a sigh..."_ Their voices blended smoothly together as they chorused, _"You're warm in my hand..."_

By now, they were attracting quite a few confused stares from the other diners in the restaurant, but they were too preoccupied to care, or even notice for that matter. _"My friend! My clever friend..." _Vineet sang, as Purvi added softly, _"You've come home... always had a fondness for you, I did."_

Vineet resumed his normal tone, smirking devilishly. "Oh, really now?" he asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye, and Purvi prodded him with the handle of her spoon. "Shut up," she scolded, just as the waiter approached the table with their food. "Great," Vineet said, his face lighting up like an enthusiastic child's. "Looks amazing!" he said happily, picked up a spoon and began to ladle generous quantities onto his plate. He had barely begun to attack his food, however, when he caught sight of the amount Purvi had served herself. "What?" he exclaimed with his mouth full, his eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at her. "Purvi, that wouldn't fill even a _cat's_ stomach!"

"I'm not really that hungry," Purvi defended, picking up a piece of fusilli with her fork. Vineet goggled incredulously at her, putting down his own fork. "Are you kidding me right now? Yaar, you _love_ this fusilli!" he protested, and before Purvi could reply, he grabbed the serving spoon and heaped more pasta onto her plate. "Eat every bit of that," he ordered imperiously, and shot her a threatening scowl in response to the mournful look she gave him. "I'm not eating until you do!" he added, putting down his fork and folding his arms decisively to emphasise his point.

Looking at him, Purvi couldn't stop herself smiling. "Oh, Vineet, stop it." She grabbed her fork and began to dig into her fusilli. "There, I'm eating! Happy?" she asked, her voice muffled by the food stuffed in her mouth. Vineet grinned in approval and proceeded to resume eating. "That's more like it!" he said happily, and Purvi felt his hand take hold of hers under the table. "Vineet," she scolded, blushing slightly and ducking her head, her hair falling forward. "Public place."

"I had no idea!" Vineet said in mock-astonishment, and rolled his eyes at her. "This is hardly illegal. And I'm a CID officer, I know the law." That earned him a jab in the ribs, and he laughed. "OK, OK!"

Later, as Vineet was taking his bike out of the parking lot, he suddenly caught sight of something, and raised his eyebrows appreciatively. "Hey, Purvi. Check out that girl behind you. In the yellow dress."

Purvi turned automatically. Sure enough, there was a pretty, slender girl in a short lemon-yellow dress standing a little distance away with a group of friends. Glancing back at Vineet, Purvi found him grinning down at her like a shark. "Hot, isn't she?"

"Sure," Purvi said with heavy sarcasm, tossing her long hair back over her shoulder with a huff as she slung her bag on. "Want me to find out her number for you?" she asked drily, and in response, Vineet merely tilted his head, looking at her with an affectionate light in his eyes. "No thanks. You see, I've already got a gorgeous girlfriend whom I'd much rather be with that anyone else." He smiled. "Not to mention she's got dimples to die for."

The next second, he was grabbed by the front of his polo shirt and yanked sharply forward as Purvi leaned in to whisper so that only he could hear. "If you think that sad line is going to earn you a kiss, you've got another think coming, hero," she murmured viciously, and Vineet made a disappointed face at her as she let go of him. "Aw, come on. Please? Puh-leeeaaase?" he wheedled, and Purvi smacked him on the arm as she climbed onto the back of the bike behind him. "Just drive, will you?"

And drive he did. If there was anything Purvi loved wholeheartedly in the world, it was bikes- the feeling of freedom, excitement, sheer life that filled her every time she sailed down a road with the wind blowing against her face and in her hair was something that had been unmatched till date. It was one of the things that had brought her and Vineet together in the first place.

She was so high on adrenaline- there was no other way to describe it- that she didn't even notice that they had reached her house until Vineet pulled to a halt. Getting reluctantly off the bike, Purvi combed her hair with her fingers to untangle it as Vineet watched her with a small smile. "What?" she wanted to know, and he reached out and caught her hand, playing with her fingers. "Do I at least get invited in for a coffee?"

Purvi smiled sweetly at him. "Hmm... What do you think?" Her smile turned into a smirk, and she deftly gave her hand a twist to free it from Vineet's grasp. "In case you've forgotten, it's _your_ turn to invite _me_ for coffee at _your_ place." She emphasised her points with prods in his shoulder, and he gave her a pathetically pitiful look. "You heartless creature." He let out a long-suffering sigh. "Ah, well. Do I at least get the regulars?" She raised her eyebrows questioningly, and in reply, he held out his arms. "Come here, you."

He was always so warm, Purvi noted absently as she nestled into his embrace. Vineet's fingers gently brushed stray hair out of her face, his breath rustling her eyelashes. "Love you," he mumbled, and Purvi felt a smile automatically tug at the corners of her mouth. "You're not bad either." That earned her a poke in the ribs, and she giggled, lifting her head to give him a swift kiss on the cheek. "Idiot, you know I love you." She gently disengaged herself from his arms, and waved as he rode off. Once he was out of sight, Purvi entered her house, a silly grin still adorning her face.

It disappeared within the blink of an eye, however, the instant she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

There was even _more_ now.

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A/N: So? Should I, or should I not continue? The choice is entirely yours. :)

The song Purvi and Vineet sing in the restaurant is 'My Friends' from the musical _Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street._


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